Ted Milton and BLURT + Eyebrow + Dustmen

Ted Milton, returns to the Thunderbolt with his iconic eighties band, Blurt.Milton, like his namesake the poet, is a man with his own unique creative expression. Puppeteer-turned-eccentric saxophonist, he is perhaps the epitome of warped genius.

His nearly tuneful squawks and lyrics shouted like a newspaper seller are as inspired as his song titles, which include My Mother Was a Friend of an Enemy of the People.

Founded in Stroud in 1979, the band were one of the early Factory records signings, and shared bills with Joy Division and A Certain Ratio before falling out of favour with Tony Wilson for likening the label to the lifestyle-chain Habitat. They were also championed at the time by John Peel.

The band have been through a number of line-up changes but never really went away, and continued to release albums and singles on a number of different labels, the most recent being Cut It! in 2010.

“This sprawling 14 track album perfectly encapsulates the sheer ferocity, ingenuity and originality that are BLURT” LOUDER THAN WAR

Eyebrow is a trumpet and drums duo based in Bristol, UK, formed in 2009. Its music evolves out of improvisations which are reassembled into structured pieces with an unexpectedly cinematic sweep, like journeys through slowly-changing landscapes.

New for 2019: the band is currently working on material for a sixth album, called “Track Record”, in collaboration with poetry collective The Spoke, and inspired by the railway line that runs between Bristol and Severn Beach.

DUSTMEN: 'Local 3 piece on a timeless quest to make their audience dance and cry simultaneously. Recently formed from the ashes of The Hide. Dustmen play 'sample-heavy' instrumentals featuring guitars, drums and heartfelt saxophone.'